Cinderella's Convenient Husband
Katherine Garbera
Wealthy Chicago attorney Seth Connelly told himself he'd married Lynn McCoy only to save her family ranch. The Sagebrush, Montana, spread had once been his salvation, though Lynn had been his nemesis. But the troublemaking brat had turned into a fresh-faced beauty….Though only days from foreclosure, Lynn was no Cinderella waiting to be rescued. Just as well, since silver-eyed Seth was no Prince Charming. She fantasized about the only kiss they'd ever shared, fourteen years ago, and yearned to be held again in his rock-hard arms. To be made his wife, in every sense of the word. Seth wanted marriage, too–but without love. Or so his loner heart said….
AROUND CHI-TOWN
Looks like the Connellys have been plunged into scandal yet again—Grant Connelly’s former lover, Ms. Angie Donahue, has been arrested! Sources report that Ms. Donahue, the mother of Grant’s illegitimate son, Seth Connelly, is the niece of Chicago’s most influential mob boss, Jimmy Kelly. Police investigations leading up to her arrest indicate that the Kellys may be behind the recent spate of troubles that have plagued the prestigious Connelly family these last few months.
And how is Seth Connelly, a well-respected attorney in the Windy City, taking this news? It seems that Seth has taken an undetermined leave of absence from his law practice…and from Chicago. Sources close to the thirty-two-year-old bachelor say he has been devastated by his mother’s revelation, but won’t reveal his location.
The Connelly troubles don’t end there. Following police questioning, Grant’s longtime assistant, Charlotte Masters, has also gone missing—and rumor has it that her life may be in danger. And she’s not the only one. Police report that hotshot P.I. Tom Reynolds, hired to protect the family, has turned up dead, the apparent victim of foul play.
In the wake of these latest disclosures, we expect local sympathies to be with Seth, a reserved lone wolf who never became a true bachelor-about-town like so many of the Connelly sons. Chicago awaits his return!
Dear Reader,
This season of harvest brings a cornucopia of six new passionate, powerful and provocative love stories from Silhouette Desire for your enjoyment.
Don’t miss our current MAN OF THE MONTH title, Cindy Gerard’s Taming the Outlaw, a reunion romance featuring a cowboy dealing with the unexpected consequences of a hometown summer of passion. And of course you’ll want to read Katherine Garbera’s Cinderella’s Convenient Husband, the tenth absorbing title in Silhouette Desire’s DYNASTIES: THE CONNELLYS continuity series.
A Navy SEAL is on a mission to win the love of the woman he left behind, in The SEAL’s Surprise Baby by Amy J. Fetzer, while a TV anchorwoman gets up close and personal with a high-ranking soldier in The Royal Treatment by Maureen Child. This is the latest title in the exciting Silhouette crossline series CROWN AND GLORY.
Opposites attract when a sexy hunk and a matchmaker share digs in Hearts Are Wild by Laura Wright. And in Secrets, Lies and…Passion by Linda Conrad, a single mom is drawn into a web of desire and danger by the lover who jilted her at the altar years before…or did he?
Experience all six of these sensuous romances from Silhouette Desire this month, and guarantee that your Halloween will be all treat, no trick.
Enjoy!
Joan Marlow Golan
Senior Editor, Silhouette Desire
Cinderella’s Convenient Husband
Katherine Garbera
www.millsandboon.co.uk (http://www.millsandboon.co.uk)
For Maureen Walters, who is encouraging while at the same time realistic. Thanks for your support.
KATHERINE GARBERA
loves a happy ending, so writing romance came naturally to her. She is a native Floridian who was recently transplanted to the Chicago area. “Living in a place where there are seasons is strange,” says Garbera. Her stories are known for their lush character detail and sensuality. She is happily married to the man she met in Fantasyland and has two children. She is an active member of Romance Writers of America, Novelists Inc. and The Authors’ Guild. Visit her home page on the Web at www.katherinegarbera.com.
MEET THE CONNELLYS
Meet the Connellys of Chicago—wealthy, powerful and rocked by scandal, betrayal…and passion!
Who’s Who in
CINDERELLA’S CONVENIENT HUSBAND
Seth Connelly—Deceived and betrayed by his heritage once again, he runs away, back to his cowboy roots, hoping to find himself, to heal….
Lynn McCoy—She knows what it’s like to be betrayed by someone you love—and now she, too, is paying the price.
Angie Donahue—Seth’s mother; she allowed his father, Grant Connelly, to raise him, but the havoc she wreaks finds her son wherever he hides….
Contents
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Epilogue
One
“What can I get for you?” asked the blond waitress.
Seth Connelly looked straight into eyes he’d never forgotten. They were the deep purple of crushed African violets. Lynn McCoy had been a troublemaking brat for the first five years of their acquaintance then she’d blossomed into a beautiful young woman. One who tempted him to forget that her older brother was closer to him than his own.
“Hello, Lynn,” he said. Somehow when he’d thought of those he might see in Sagebrush, Montana, he’d forgotten about Lynn and that one awkward kiss they’d shared the night of her sixteenth birthday.
He’d never returned to the ranch again, aware that he’d crossed a line that shouldn’t have been crossed. Aware that he’d taken a step that would alienate him from Matt. Aware that it was time to stop running and return home to Chicago.
But his birth mother’s betrayal had made Chicago into a tense place, and he’d hit the road hoping to find some semblance of the man he’d become. Because as he’d fallen once again for Angie Donahue’s lies and manipulation, he’d realized that he didn’t know himself anymore.
He hoped Lynn didn’t remember the embrace—it was so long ago. But life had taught him that if she did, more than likely it haunted her. That one brief brush of lips still plagued his dreams on restless nights, because she had tasted innocent and he never had been.
Her eyes widened in recognition and she smiled at him. There was weariness on her face, and an instinctual part of him recognized that expression for what it was. She was running from something as well.
Not your business, old man.
“Hi, Seth. What brings you to our little corner of the world?”
He was a successful lawyer from a wealthy family so he knew all about people who complained when they had plenty, and he wouldn’t be one of those. He couldn’t tell her that he’d come here searching for something that he’d found in his youth. Something he couldn’t really explain to anyone. It had been a feeling, really, maybe something more but not definable.
“I’m hoping for a cup of coffee and a steak.”
“You’ve come to the right place. But I should tell you it’s probably not as fancy as you’d get in Chicago.”
“That’s okay. The atmosphere’s better here.”
“Really? I’d have thought all those sophisticated people would win hands down.”
“Nothing beats the mountains in Montana.” Even though night had fallen, the view from the diner was one he’d never forgotten.
“You can say that again.”
Their eyes met and held in a moment of pure appreciation for what nature had so splendidly given this area of the country.
“What kind of dressing do you want on your salad?”
He told her and she walked away. The quiet conversation that buzzed around him reminded him why he liked Sagebrush. Here in this small town he wasn’t the illegitimate son of a Mafia princess and Chicago’s most revered citizen. Here he was that wild boy who’d had his ear pierced and wore a leather jacket even in the heat of summer. Here he was a man without a family—and Seth needed that.
Here he was a friend of the McCoys and treated as such. That warm feeling was why he’d returned in late fall when winter beckoned around the corner.
Lynn brought his coffee and salad and then hurried away to take care of the rest of her tables. Another waiter brought his steak, which was perfectly cooked.
The meal was one of the best he’d had in a long time, simple food prepared for taste instead of presentation. Seth knew he’d made the right decision. The tension that had been dogging him receded. It didn’t disappear completely but ebbed enough for him to relax his shoulders.
Lynn looked tired, he thought.
And not unlike his half-sister Tara had looked when she’d been trying to have her missing husband Michael declared legally dead. What kind of problems hung on her shoulders? Why wasn’t Matt here to relieve that burden for her? He knew that Matt McCoy and he shared more than friendship but also an overwhelming urge to protect those dear to them.
What was Matt thinking to let his sister work in a diner when there wasn’t any reason for it? The McCoy spread was the biggest and most profitable in the area. Seth knew this not only from his youth but also from his yearly treks to meet Matt for vacations. They always discussed the ranch. But never Lynn.
She stopped by to refill his coffee cup. “Can you join me for a minute?”
“Just real quick.”
“You’re a hard worker, Lynn.”
“Thank you,” she said tentatively.
“Why the hesitation?”
“The last time you complimented me I found myself soaking wet on a cold evening.”
“Hey, you’re safe for now. I’ve grown into a boring old lawyer,” he said.
“Not boring or old. Lawyer?”
“Okay, get it out of your system,” he said, knowing few people could resist the urge to lob a few lawyer jokes when they actually met one.
“What?” she asked, all innocence. She looked breathtakingly lovely in the dim light of the diner.
“You’ve got to have a joke about lawyers.”
“Not me. Besides, I have nothing but respect for you,” she said.
“Yeah, right. If memory serves, the last prank you played on me involved stealing my clothes and leaving me naked at the swimming hole.”
“I left your hat, didn’t I?”
It had been uncomfortable to be outsmarted by a girl a few years younger than he was. Because at home no one got the jump on Seth Connelly. He still felt a little embarrassed when he recalled the number of times she’d gotten the better of him. “I think we’re square.”
“Yeah, I think so. Are you here to see Matt?”
“Yes.”
“He’s not home.”
“I thought his tour ended last month.”
“It did but he was on an assignment that he felt needed him and reupped.”
Damn. He wasn’t going to be able to stay at the McCoy Ranch if Matt wasn’t there. He’d counted on the wide-open spaces, the cattle lowing in the distance and the fragrance of jasmine to lull him to sleep.
“I’m surprised you didn’t call first.”
“I didn’t know I was coming until I got here.”
She nodded. “I’ve got to get back to work. You take care, Seth Connelly.”
She walked away and this time he watched and wanted. She was exactly as he remembered from that late-summer night. Sweet and funny but tempered with the experiences life had used to test her. And he knew that it was probably for the best that Matt wasn’t here and Seth would be moving on…again.
Lynn McCoy let the smile drop from her face the minute she entered the kitchen. She’d been worried that maybe Matt had sent him. But it seemed he was only looking for Matt, not trying to find out what kind of trouble she was in. Trouble was about the only thing she had right now.
And it looked as if another helping was on the way. Childhood crushes were supposed to end well before thirty. Lynn knew this in her rational mind but her heart beat a little bit faster as she thought about Seth Connelly. He hardly resembled the rough loner who’d first visited her family’s ranch the summer she was eleven.
Now he had the kind of quiet self-assurance he’d lacked as a youth. Though his gray eyes were stormy like the north Atlantic, his body language said there was nothing he couldn’t handle.
He’d looked surprised to see her at the diner. She knew he had to be. After all, the prosperous McCoy ranch had never failed to support the generations.
What had brought him to Montana in October? There wasn’t much in the way of tourism in Sagebrush. Besides, she knew he was involved in his family’s business and wondered if he was having family problems again.
Part of what had initially drawn her to Seth had been that he was so alone. Though she knew she could never really trust him, her brother considered Seth closer than a blood relation.
Her first impulse had been to settle into the booth with him and spend the evening catching up on the past, but she knew that she fell in love too easily and she’d learned that lesson the hard way. She felt almost proud of the way she resisted that urge.
She waved good-night to the cook and left before she gave in and returned to the corner booth where Seth sat. Keep walking, Lynn. The night air bit into her clothes and she shivered in her leather coat. It had been her grandfather’s and would keep her warm once she buttoned it.
The employee parking area was well lit, and Lynn approached her truck with no trepidation. But the stenciling on the side gave her pause. The McCoy Ranch—Home Of The Best Beef In Montana.
For how much longer? She had barely one hundred head left because that was all she could work on her own and still make ends meet. Tears burned the back of her eyes at her own stupidity. Trusting too easily had been her biggest weakness. Though she’d never be able to look at the world with a truly cynical eye, a part of her had been forever changed when Ronnie had taken her money and left her.
The highway ran behind the fence and she listened to the cars flying past. She’d never understood the obsession everyone had with getting out of Sagebrush. She’d loved her hometown and had never ventured farther than the airport in Billings to pick up friends.
Suddenly her entire world was in danger of falling apart and she was at the end of the line. She’d tried everything she could. She’d sold all the horses except for Thor, her gelding, leased part of the grazing pasture, boarded horses for the folks in town and taken this job. But there still was more debt than she could cover.
What was she going to do? Her plan, which had seemed so brilliant in the middle of the night, seemed a little weak today. She’d worked double shifts at the diner, and as she waited on tables, her mind had puzzled over the options.
There seemed damn few. Then the past had to walk in the front door like the precursor to a bad storm and look at her as if she was…what? A woman. It had been a long time since any man had looked at her like that. Ronnie had taken more with him than she’d realized. He’d taken part of her femininity with him, leaving her vulnerable and unsure in the one area she’d always been confident.
“Lynn?” Seth’s voice brushed over her like a warm wind, but she knew better than to believe what it promised. A man’s silky voice at night had never brought her anything but pain.
Damn. Instead of a clean getaway, now she was going to have to face him again. She pivoted toward him. He was cast half in shadows by the lamplight. His features were sharp and bold and for a minute he looked more comfortable than she’d ever seen him.
That disturbed her, but she shook it off. She needed to get home and get a good night’s sleep so she’d be prepared for her meeting tomorrow.
“Yes, Seth?”
“Why are you working here?”
“I like the change of pace.”
She’d never been able to look anyone in the eye while she lied to him. And it had gotten her into hot water more than once.
“You look tired,” he said.
She felt the fatigue as if for the first time. She glanced up and met his gaze. He compelled her to tell him the truth and she did. Just a little bit, a sop for her conscience. “I am.”
“Why are you really working here?”
“I don’t know. The people, I guess.”
“Really?”
“Yes, it’s too quiet at the ranch.” That was the truth. With the hands gone and the big old house to herself, she needed some conversation to distract her.
“If you ever need anything, Lynn, let me know. I owe your family.” She’d never seen him so earnest before. She’d seen him tough and ready to take on three older boys in a fight. She’d seen him eager to learn how to rope and brand cattle. She’d seen him with his dreams in his eyes as he’d looked at the night sky and told Matt about the solar system.
“You don’t owe us anything. You worked those summers you spent here.” And he’d given her brother someone to imitate. Someone to bond with and look up to. Especially after Daddy had died. She thought maybe the McCoys owed Seth more than he’d ever know.
A red tinge colored his neck. “Well, I tried to do my part.”
She realized then that Seth wasn’t all that comfortable with praise, and it made him seem a little more human. “I’ve got to go.”
“Will you give Matt this note when he comes home?” he asked, holding out a sheet of legal paper that had been folded neatly into thirds. Matt’s name was printed in large block letters. There was nothing timid about Seth, she thought.
“Sure,” she said, trying to convince herself that whatever she’d felt for Seth Connelly had died a long time ago. But somehow her hormones didn’t get that message. Her skin tingled when their fingers brushed. Her breath seemed harder to come by and her heart beat a bit faster. Chills spread up her arm. Her nipples tightened and her breasts felt heavy. For some reason her feet seemed planted to the ground.
She recognized the symptoms. Lust. Not now, she thought. Not again. The last time she’d followed her impulses around Seth she’d ended up brokenhearted. She’d learned too much and come too far from that sixteen-year-old girl to behave that way again. Or at least as a thirty year old she’d like to hope she did.
“I’ll stick it in the next letter I mail him,” she said.
“Thank you.”
She tugged her hand out from under his. “You’re welcome.”
She didn’t like the way he made her feel. Didn’t like that for the first time since Ronnie had taken her money and her heart, she was interested in a man. Especially didn’t like that the man was Seth.
Resolutely, she marched toward her truck and unlocked the door.
“Uh, Lynn?” When she turned to look at him, his eyes held the maturity of age and she knew that whatever she remembered of him she’d always liked him. Which was dangerous to her. Because he looked as if he needed a shoulder to cry on.
“Yes?”
He rubbed the bridge of his nose and then stepped closer to her. “It occurs to me that I owe you an apology.”
Oh, God. “I can’t imagine why.”
He moved another step closer. So close she could smell the coffee he’d drunk with dinner. “For that kiss I stole when you were sixteen.”
She didn’t want to have this conversation with Seth now. Never sounded like a good time to chat about it.
“You didn’t steal it.”
“I felt like I did after I walked away without a word.”
“Hey, I’m a mature woman now. I barely remember an embrace that long ago.”
“Really?”
No, but she’d rather give away the ranch than admit it. She shrugged.
“It haunts me,” he said simply. He started to walk away, his shoulders set and his stride bold.
His words cut through the protective layers she’d wrapped around herself. “Seth?”
He stopped, glancing over his shoulder at her. A light snow began to fall and it dusted his head and black trench coat.
“I…”
He nodded. She wasn’t sure he understood what she’d been trying to say.
“Me too,” she said finally and opened the door to her truck. She climbed in quickly and drove away, watching Seth standing there in the lightly falling snow.
For the first time in months she didn’t dream about the ranch or the diner. Instead, a pair of silver eyes plagued her dreams.
Two
It was well after midnight when Seth gave up trying to find a motel and turned down the familiar road that led to the McCoy ranch. He consoled himself with the thought that he could sleep in the bunkhouse with the ranch hands but he knew Lynn’s bed was where he really wanted to spend the night. A light flickered over the porch as the house came into view. A sole pickup was parked next to the kitchen entrance.
He pulled his Jag to a stop and went to the bunkhouse. It was deserted and locked up tight. Questions formed quicker than he could answer them. But he was tired and would seek those answers in the morning.
It was cold outside and he doubted he’d survive the night if he slept in the car. His options were limited. He’d have to disturb Lynn.
Only fair, his raging hormones agreed, since she’d been disturbing him all evening.
In the old days a spare key had been kept under the potted planter on the front porch. He was glad to see at least that hadn’t changed. He unlocked the door, replacing the key before he entered quietly. That was the one good thing to be said for a misspent youth; he knew how to move so silently that no one could hear him.
He turned left off the entryway toward the living room. As he made his way to the couch, he slammed into an ottoman that hadn’t been there in his memory and cursed under his breath. His shins ached and he heard footsteps upstairs.
“Matt, is that you?” Lynn’s voice was sleepy and husky.
Awareness tingled down his spine and stirred the flesh between his legs. He walked to the foyer and flipped on the hallway light. “No, it’s Seth.”
She descended the stairs before taking time to get a robe. The silk long johns she wore did little to mask her body, instead it seemed to frame it in a way meant to tease a man. But her clothes, imprinted with cartoon characters, clearly weren’t articles of seduction. She should have looked sweet and innocent instead of seductive. “Seth, what are you doing in my house?”
“There’s no place to stay in town.”
She stopped a few feet from him. He hadn’t realized earlier how much taller than she he was. She barely cleared his breastbone. His libido supplied him with the image of the two of them naked in a bed where she’d fit very comfortably into his arms.
She’s my best friend’s little sister, he reminded himself.
“Where are you headed?” she asked.
Straight to hell, he thought. He cleared his throat. “This is my destination.”
“Oh.”
“I thought I’d bunk with the men,” he said so that she wouldn’t suspect that he wanted her.
“No, you can’t. You’d better stay up here.” She wouldn’t look him in the eye, and he knew it was because she was planning on making up some story about where the cowpokes were who used to live there.
“I’ve been to the bunkhouse, Lynn. What happened?”
“Oh, we don’t have such a great need for overnight staff anymore.” Her hair fell to the middle of her back in tousled waves and the light reflected in it. He’d always loved her hair. Even as a tomboy teenager she’d had miles of hair. After she turned sixteen it had played into more than one of his fantasies while he’d slept under this roof.
“Why not?” he asked, trying to focus on anything but her body.
She sighed. “It’s the middle of the night and you must be tired.”
Seth knew the gentlemanly thing to do would be to get in his car and drive back down the highway until he found a place to stay, but he was tired.
“Can I stay here tonight? I’ll head back to Chicago in the morning.” He’d been turned out of better places and for less reason than Lynn had.
She touched his arm, and though he knew it was impossible, he seemed to feel her heat through the layers of his jacket and shirt. “Of course you can. I didn’t mean you should leave.”
“Thank you. I’ll grab my overnight bag and bunk down here,” he said. She’d tilted her head back to look him in the eye now that they were standing so close, and he realized she had a long, graceful neck. Her skin looked as pale as the moonbeams, and he wondered if it would taste as sweet as it looked.
“Do you really want to sleep on the sofa?”
“No. But I don’t want to disturb you.”
“You won’t. I didn’t even hear you enter the house.”
“I can be very quiet.”
“And then really noisy. What happened?”
“The ottoman.”
She chuckled. “Are you okay? I’ve hit that thing a time or two myself.”
The piece was old and heavy, made of solid oak with a pretty, embroidered covering that he knew Mrs. McCoy had made during her first year of marriage. It was a tradition in the McCoy family that the newlyweds made a piece of furniture for their new life together.
“Go get your bag. You can sleep in Matt’s room. I’ll change the sheets for you.”
“Thanks, Lynn.”
“No problem, Seth.”
The way she said his name made him wonder if she wasn’t remembering what it had been like to kiss him. And though he knew that would be a big mistake, it was all he could think of as he retrieved his overnight bag from the car. Think of her as your own sister, he cautioned himself. He tried to imagine one of his half sisters in those long johns waiting upstairs for him. But as he entered the house and climbed the stairs, he knew it wasn’t Alexandra, Tara or Maggie up there.
Even an image of Matt’s glowering face couldn’t keep his blood from flowing heavier or his loins from tightening. The only one who could do that was he. And the one thing Seth had always been able to do was keep his cool and his control. Why, then, did it feel as if he was barely hanging on?
Lynn turned off the shower at nine the next morning. She’d been up since dawn feeding Thor and the other horses that she boarded for the townsfolk. She’d slept better last night than she’d expected to. The security of knowing she wasn’t alone on the ranch should have been enough to ensure she didn’t spend the night twisting and turning in her bed. But Seth’s icy gaze and warm touch had haunted her dreams.
She’d hurried out of bed and refused to dwell on those thoughts. Seth was nothing more to her than an old family friend, and she didn’t have too many of them left. Most had died or moved on, leaving her alone for almost five years. Longer than she’d ever expected. Perhaps that loneliness was why she was so willing to latch on to Seth.
She had an appointment at the bank this morning and needed to get dressed. Her closet was a fashion nightmare, dominated by faded jeans and western shirts. In the back, in a plastic dry-cleaning bag, was her one suit, some designer label that she’d bought to wear to her mother’s funeral.
She dressed in it quickly but with care. If she had a chance of persuading Mr. Cochran at the bank to extend the loan, she needed to exude success. But how did success look? Seth would know, she thought.
It was too bad she couldn’t tell him the truth, because she could use his advice. He knew about making money. Heck, he came from one of the wealthiest families in Chicago. But he’d tell Matt and she wasn’t going to ask her big brother to bail her out of another mess.
She twisted her long hair into a chignon and applied the light makeup that she wore to church. The suit was cut with classic lines that flattered her lean frame. For a minute she glimpsed who she might have been if her family had lived in a city instead of this small rural town.
She didn’t hear any signs of life from Matt’s room as she walked down the stairs. Maybe she could sneak out before Seth woke. He’d be gone when she returned and she wouldn’t have to see him again.
The smell of coffee warned her that her luck was running par. She entered the kitchen and poured herself a cup of coffee. At the breakfast table Seth had set up a laptop computer attached to her phone jack.
He made a few keystrokes on the computer and then turned to smile at her. For a minute she forgot why she thought she couldn’t trust him.
“Good morning.” His voice was low and husky, masculine in the early morning. She wasn’t used to a man’s voice and it startled her. Seth had obviously taken a shower before coming downstairs and was dressed again in casual elegance.
“Morning,” she said, gulping her coffee and scalding her tongue. She hated it when she did that. Damn, if she was this rattled on her home turf, how was she going to handle the bank?
“Sleep well?” he asked, eyeing her. She wondered if she’d smudged her lipstick on her teeth. Surreptitiously she rubbed her tongue over her front teeth.
“Yes.” She sat down across from him.
“Good, because I have some questions.”
“About?” Not now, she thought.
“The ranch, Lynn. What the hell happened?”
She knew he’d ask. Anyone with eyes would wonder the same thing. But her answers were hard to come by. She was a proud woman—always had been—and telling this smart, handsome man that she’d fallen for a con was not in the game plan.
“Times are tough. NAFTA didn’t do ranchers a favor.”
“Most of the ranches aren’t this bad.”
She glanced over his shoulder at the wallpaper that had once been a bright spring floral print but had faded with time. She had a moment’s fear that she was glimpsing the future. That someday she’d be as old and faded as the wallpaper and have seen just as little of life.
Carefully she considered her words. “True, but most of them aren’t run by one person.”
“The McCoy ranch never has been in the past.”
“Well, it is now.”
“Lynn, unless you want me to place an emergency call to your brother, you better start talking.”
“Why?” she demanded. Seth had been away for a long time, and though she knew he had fond memories of the summers he’d spent here, they couldn’t be reason enough for him to probe into ranch matters.
“What?” he asked.
“You heard me. Why do you care what’s happened?”
He sighed and rubbed the bridge of his nose with his thumb and forefinger. He looked stressed. She wondered if this questioning wasn’t his way of hiding from whatever had driven him from Chicago. No matter what he’d said the night before she didn’t believe he just felt like visiting her brother on an impulse.
“This ranch is important to me.” Seth’s sincerity had never been more apparent.
“Then why haven’t you been back for fourteen years?”
“It’s not my ancestral home.”
“I’m doing my best to save it.”
“What do you think Matt will say when he sees this place?”
“It won’t look like this when he comes home.”
“Really?”
“Yes, I have big plans.”
“Tell me what’s going on.”
“I can’t.”
“Why not?”
“Because you won’t understand.”
“Trust me, Lynn. I’m on your side.”
“The last time I trusted you, you kissed me and walked away.”
“Is that what this is all about?”
“Of course not. I’m just saying your track record isn’t the best.”
“And yours is?”
“I didn’t walk away.”
“You didn’t come after me either.”
“I don’t want to have this conversation. I’m due at the bank at ten and I don’t want to be late.”
“Just tell me what’s going on. Is it money? Maybe I can help.”
“Why are you here, Seth?”
He was silent.
“That’s right,” she said with a nod. “You have your own secrets and I have mine. Let’s keep them that way.”
“Your family meant a lot to me.”
“I know. But it’s better this way. Besides, you’re leaving today.”
“I could still help you.”
“No, you can’t. But I’ll make a note that you tried.”
Lynn walked away from him wishing she felt a little more confident. Wishing for a miracle she knew she had faint hope of getting. Wishing that Seth wasn’t leaving today.
“Lynn, wait. I’ll drive you into town.”
She’d gathered her purse and a sheaf of documents. This was a Lynn he’d never seen before. He’d be lying if he said she didn’t attract him. She wasn’t the rough-and-ready ranch girl that he didn’t know how to handle. For the moment she was a city woman, like every other woman in his life.
She glanced over her shoulder at him, her eyes hidden by a pair of dark glasses. Mystery surrounded her, and Seth wanted to investigate the changes. Would the real Lynn McCoy please stand up?
“I’d rather take myself.”
Of course you would, Ms. Independent. She reminded him of his stepmother and sisters. They’d take any challenge but they’d do it in their own unique ways. And he knew he had to respect Lynn’s way of doing things even if it wasn’t his own.
Reality intruded. She’d said she was going to the bank. More than likely that meant she needed money and the only way she was going to get it was to look as if she didn’t need it. The Jag was a showy car, pricey and elegant; it spoke volumes for whoever drove it without him having to say a word. It had netted him invitations to the nicest residences in Chicago, even though he knew many of those old-money folks looked down on him because of his dubious parentage.
“The banker will be more likely to listen to whatever you have to say if you arrive in the Jag.”
“Okay, but I drive.” The haughty look she’d conjured up made him want to kiss her. She seemed untouchable in her upswept hairdo and her fancy suit. He wanted to rumple her up and find the girl who’d let him sleep in her home last night. To find the girl with hair hanging down her back wearing silky long johns.
Though Lynn’s suit made her look more like the other women he knew, he realized that he wanted her to be different. The thought floored him. Maybe he had an ulterior motive for wanting to help?
But he knew more than lust motivated him. There was a soft spot in his soul for the McCoys.
“No one drives my Jag.” He spoke from the gut. The car was as important to him as his laptop or his Swiss timepiece. He wasn’t going to chance it.
“Now where’s the trust?” she asked softly. Her words cut right through the superficiality of what he’d been thinking.
He did feel a bit like a child on Christmas morning who’d been asked to share his new toy. “Who’s talking about trust? This car is a finely tuned machine and you’re used to driving that tank over there.”
“Is it the car you’re worried about or your tough-guy image?”
He remained unfazed. “Whatever the reason, the result is the same. I’m driving.”
Deliberately he walked to the passenger side of the car to open the door for her. “What a gentleman you are, Seth Connelly. Too bad I know the real you.”
Though he knew Lynn had meant her remarks as something else entirely, she’d struck a nerve. “I think the door’s unlocked.”
She didn’t know the real Seth—no one did. And he’d made it his life’s mission to make sure that the situation stayed that way. He didn’t like Lynn’s innuendo that he was less than civilized. But maybe there was a kernel of truth in her words. Underneath his civilized veneer beat the heart of a warrior, not a Prince Charming.
He’d never been anyone’s white knight but he was the guy they’d turned to in a fight, knowing he’d never lose. That had been true at twelve when he’d come to the Connellys and it was true now in the courtroom where he won every battle he took up.
Whether Lynn liked it or not, he was in her corner. The debt he owed the McCoy family was too big for him to not step up to the plate now.
Five years of military school and six years of college had ensured that he could converse within any circle and not embarrass his family. Lessons from his stepmom, Emma Connelly, on deportment and manners had made sure he was every inch the gentleman.
“Are you going to check the door?” she asked.
Seth realized he’d been standing next to the car. He should just turn around, lock the door and drive her to town. He should pretend that her words hadn’t ripped away a scab he’d never known was there. He should not lean down so that her face was only inches from his and her sweet breath brushed across his cheek.
“I don’t think anyone knows the real Seth.”
She cupped his jaw in her hand and Seth was humbled by the touch even as it started a series of fires throughout his body and brought the hardness to his loins that had made sleep uncomfortable all night.
“I do.”
“Then who is he, Lynn?”
“He’s a man who’s strong and loyal. A man willing to go to any lengths for those he cares for, even putting up with the tantrums of his best friend’s younger sister.”
“You weren’t throwing a tantrum. You were right. I don’t like to share my things.”
“That’s because you’ve never been sure they were really yours.” Her insight was a smooth balm over his aching wounds, and he stood before he did something stupid like kiss her.
He closed the door firmly and went to the house to make sure it was secured. As he walked back to the car, he tried to tell himself he’d resisted Lynn because she was Matt’s sister. Tried to tell himself it was because she was in trouble and needed his help. But deep inside he knew the real reason—she saw too much of who he really was.
Three
Lynn held her breath until Seth drove off of her property, leaving behind the visual reminder of her mistake. She’d trusted her heart to a smooth-talking man from New York City who’d promised to give her the world and share her life. And then convinced her to mortgage the ranch and put the money into a short-term, high-yield fund.
The only thing Ronnie had forgotten to mention was that he’d be the only one getting rich from her money. He disappeared with her cash exactly eighteen months ago.
Seth pulled the Jag to a stop on the shoulder of the road. Her first thought was they’d run out of gas. But she soon realized that Seth had given in only to get his own way.
“We’re not going any farther until you tell me what’s going on.”
Tears burned the back of her eyes. He’d driven far enough that she couldn’t walk back to the ranch and still make her appointment at the bank. Time was running out. She heard the beating of the countdown clock in her mind and she could scarcely breathe as she stared at the long, empty road ahead of her.
She felt cornered and betrayed by someone who’d lulled her into feeling safe. The sensation was much the same as the one she’d experienced when she’d realized Ronnie was never coming back. She knew of only one way out of this situation. Actually, two—fighting or telling the truth.
Seth Connelly might wear the trappings of civilization, might have spent the last twenty years with a silver spoon in his mouth, but underneath the exterior beat the heart of a street warrior who’d seen the seamier side of life. She knew he’d come from the mean streets of one of Chicago’s most dangerous neighborhoods before his mom left him with the Connellys.
Military school had honed that rebellious boy into a controlled man who knew how to manipulate circumstances for his own good. And though she knew in her heart that he wasn’t acting out of malice, her pride chafed at having been fooled once again by a man.
Truth was really the only option she had left. But she had to ensure some provisos before telling him anything. Matt mustn’t be put into jeopardy because she’d listened to her heart instead of her head.
“I want you to promise me you won’t call Matt or interfere.”
Rubbing his jaw, Seth shook his head. “I can’t make any promises until I hear the circumstances.” For the first time, she understood how different their personalities were.
She would have agreed to the stipulation without thinking the entire situation through. But Seth was cautious. Maybe he could offer her some other ideas than the one she’d come up with—selling off part of her ranch.
She took a deep breath and looked out the window at the barren landscape. Montana was preparing for winter. The deep freeze within which she’d surrounded herself began to thaw just a little as she talked about the situation for the first time with someone other than a loan officer.
“The ranch is being foreclosed on in nine days.”
Resting one arm behind her on the seat and the other on the dash, he leaned toward Lynn. She felt his presence everywhere; it was totally nonthreatening, yet at the same time arousing. He smelled crisp and clean with a faint spicy aroma. He moved the hand to her shoulder, urging her to look at him.
He’s your brother’s best friend, she reminded herself.
She met his gaze. It was hot and heavy, filled with questions and something more. Her skin tingled, and she forgot that he’d maneuvered her to this place where she was acting on his will. Forgot that he was her brother’s friend and he’d owe his loyalty to Matt. Forgot that the last time she’d thrown caution to the wind for a man she’d ended up in this situation.
Snap out of it, girl. She leaned away from him, pressing her back against the cold glass of the window. Everything would be easier if he wasn’t attracted to her. When she mixed with men, things ended in disaster.
“How did that happen?” he asked, his tone so matter-of-fact that she thought he might be a researcher following clues to a new discovery.
I don’t know, she thought. You come close to me, and my mind shuts down. Then she realized he’d meant the foreclosure.
“There was this guy, Ronnie. He gave a seminar on investing and I took his advice. The deal went south, and I was left with a mortgaged ranch.”
“Things are never that simple. I need more details.”
No way, she thought. She wasn’t going to tell Seth Connelly that she’d fallen for blue eyes, blond hair and an all-American smile. That she’d mortgaged her property so that Ronnie would stay with her instead of moving on to Los Angeles and the promise of bigger investors. That she’d given her soul to a man without one.
“You mortgaged the land to get the capital to invest?”
She nodded.
“Where did he invest your money?”
“Supposedly on Wall Street.”
“Supposedly?”
“It seems I fell victim to a con man.”
He cursed.
“I know it sounds unbelievable but it didn’t at the time.”
“It never does. What have you told Matt?”
“Nothing. His job is very risky. I don’t want him thinking about me and the ranch instead of his assignment. I can’t bury another member of my family, Seth.”
“I know,” he said, caressing her jaw.
Silence fell and they both stared at each other.
“What’s the plan?” Seth asked.
“I’ve been working double shifts at the diner and have been boarding horses for the folks who live in town. I’ve got about five thousand I can give the bank today. I’m hoping that will be enough to buy me some time.”
“What are you going to do with the time?”
“Find a buyer for the outer land. I hate to give up even an acre of the property, but I can’t lose the house.”
The thought of anyone other than the McCoys owning the land seemed like sacrilege to him. But at the same time her dilemma was his way out of what he owed her family. It was ironic that he’d visited the ranch as a boy with no money and he’d returned a wealthy man. The solution seemed obvious to Seth.
“I’ll pay off your loan and you can pay me back.”
She smiled at him, and it was the saddest expression he’d ever seen. If he’d had a heart, he thought it would have broken. Her deep violet eyes were wide and watery as she tried to keep from crying.
“Seth, that’s so sweet. But I…no.”
Lynn shouldn’t look like this, he thought. She should be riding her horse across the same land she’d ridden as a child. Never should anyone else own an acre of land that had been the McCoys since pioneers had first settled in the West.
“Lynn, be reasonable.” If she took the money, he could leave and not be tormented by images of the two of them making love in her bed. Or, he thought, leaning closer to her in the front of his car, if he put the seat back, she’d fit nicely in his lap.
She’s your best friend’s little sister, he reminded himself. But his body didn’t care about that.
“Reason has nothing to do with this. I can’t take your money. If Matt were here, he’d do the same thing.”
Seth struggled to remember that he wanted her to take the money so he could go. Returning to Chicago wasn’t what he wanted right now, but it seemed safer than staying in Montana and tempting himself with a woman he knew was off limits.
“Matt would pay the loan off himself or take my money.”
She considered the idea for all of a second. “It’s not Matt’s debt to pay nor yours. Don’t suggest it again.”
“The next time a woman tells me how hardheaded men are, I’m going to direct her to you.” Her jaw clenched and she didn’t look as if she was going to cry anymore. Slug him maybe, but not break down.
“I’m not stubborn just—”
“Proud,” he said. He couldn’t blame her. If he were in her shoes, he’d do whatever he had to—on his own. He wasn’t a team player and he knew it. He was more the alpha wolf leading his pack, and now he wanted to protect one of his own. Because whether Lynn knew it or not, she was definitely his.
Where had that come from? He didn’t know, but it made an odd sort of sense. Taking care of Lynn the way her family had taken care of him in those summers long ago would fill something in him that had been empty too long.
“I believe in paying my own way,” she said. “I made this mess and I’ll be the one to clean it up.”
She was so close he could smell the sweetness of her perfume and the underlying scent of woman. He closed his eyes. It’s about money, man. Keep your mind there.
“How about if I make you a loan and you can make payments to me?”
“Seth, be serious. You’re never going to take my family’s land.”
She was right. He’d deed the land back to her as soon as the paperwork was finalized. But he was in a position to give a gift that huge if he wanted to. And he wanted to. He thought it might be more of a need because he was so hard right now, if they didn’t compromise on the bank soon he was going to try putting his seat back and pulling her across his thighs. And that was something he shouldn’t do.
He’d tried one time to bridge the gap between them and he’d ended up leaving Montana and hurting Lynn in the process. He wouldn’t hurt her again.
“What do you suggest?”
She closed her eyes and bowed her head, looking defeated. That was the one way he’d never wanted to see this proud woman. She should be standing tall.
“Going to the bank and talking to Cochran. Which, by the way, we should be doing now.”
“I’m not driving anywhere until we find a solution that has at least a fifty-fifty shot of working.”
He’d never met a woman who didn’t look out for herself first, to the exclusion of anyone else. Lynn was totally different from his mother. A woman who’d used his birth to milk his father’s family for more than money. But there was a part of him that believed she’d do the thing that would keep her in comfort.
“I guess this is stalemate.”
“I’m not going to stop at anything short of complete surrender.”
“Why?” she asked, glancing up at him.
“This place was my saving grace, Lynn, and I won’t let anyone, even you, throw it away.”
“I can’t take money from my brother’s best friend.”
“Who can you take money from?”
“Matt.”
“It seems we’re back to the beginning.”
“Let’s go into town and let me meet with Cochran. He might agree to my plan. Or perhaps he’ll agree to take the land and leave me the house.”
“I don’t want your land in anyone’s hands other than yours.”
“I’m always going to remember how noble you were about this, Seth.”
“I’ve never been noble but I do know right from wrong, and what you’re proposing doesn’t feel right.”
“It’s the only way.”
He didn’t say another word, just turned forward and started the car. He drove into town, his mind swimming with possibilities. He’d let Lynn try to work her deal with the bank, and if that didn’t work, he’d arrange for one of the banks that he used in Chicago to buy the loan. He knew there was a way to manipulate the banks and the system for it to seem as if Lynn were still making payments to the institution, when in reality she’d be making payments to him.
Part of him chafed at the thought of deceiving this woman to whom pride meant so much, but another part realized that there were times when the situation called for desperate measures. As the thought entered his head, he wondered if his mother had ever justified using him by just the same thought.
Lynn left the bank with a heavy heart and anger pulsing through her veins. She’d never met a person she couldn’t out-stubborn until this morning. Cochran wanted her land—but he wanted all of it and he wanted her out of the house in less than ten days.
Seth leaned casually against the hood of his car. Give him a cigarette and a leather jacket and he’d look the same as he had fourteen years ago. Her heart pounded a little faster at the sight of him, but she knew that nothing could come of it. Men were bad news for her.
“What did he say?” Seth asked, straightening as she approached.
She tried to utter the words, but her throat closed and she had to wrinkle her nose to keep the tears from falling. Instead, she just shook her head.
“Take my money,” he said to her.
Never in her life had her pride stung more than at that moment. She wanted her ranch, but taking money from Seth Connelly was something she simply couldn’t do. “I can’t.”
Anger crossed Seth’s face, but she sensed it wasn’t directed at her. “I’m going to talk to this man. Give me your notes.”
“I don’t think it will help. He’s a barracuda.”
“I’m a lawyer, sweetheart. We’re known for being sharks.”
“I don’t want to think of you swimming in the same water as that man.”
“Wait in the car. I’ll be right back.”
“Seth—”
“Let me do this, Lynn. I owe your family a debt, and it’s the only option you’ve left me.”
“Okay.” She handed over the folder that held all of the paperwork on the ranch’s mortgage. She was careful not to let their fingers brush, remembering the sensation that had rocked her the last time. But more than anything, she wished she could lean against him. Rest against his tall, strong body and let her troubles recede if only for a few minutes. But Seth was a weakness she couldn’t afford.
He opened the Jag’s door for her and she watched him walk back into the bank. It was a cold, blustery day and the mountains in the distance seemed to look down on the little town of Sagebrush with wise eyes. She felt their stare and knew that the mountains weren’t really censoring her for giving her trust blindly. But realizing that her friends and neighbors would know how foolish she’d been didn’t make her feel confident that they wouldn’t look on her the same way.
She tried to weigh her options objectively. If Matt were here, would he take Seth’s money? She doubted it. Matt preferred relationships that were equal, and if he’d taken money from Seth, their friendship would be forever changed.
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